Sharks coach contemplating lineup changes for Game 4 of playoffs

The Sharks know they need to improve their special teams play if they want to even their series with the St. Louis Blues in Game 4.

But that game isn't until Thursday night, so on Tuesday coach Todd McLellan thought the most valuable way for his team to be spend the extra day off between games was with an optional skate.

"We've been pushing hard for a month," McLellan said. "Get a little bit of a rest, reload. We'll get a good practice in tomorrow, we'll be able to walk through some things on the ice that we need to address. And then let's pull the work boots back on and play again."

The Sharks coach added that he thought every first-round series has an extra day built into it and "most teams will use it that way, just to reload the gas tank."

San Jose's penalty kill gave up three goals in Monday night's 4-3 loss to the Blues and McLellan already has used video to go over some adjustments with his players. Those adjustments will be transferred to the ice on Wednesday.

But McLellan is considering changes well beyond special teams, including personnel on the ice.

"We can do some small things in all areas of the game to get better," he said. "We can look at the line combinations, potential lineup changes. There's a lot of things we can do."

But he was taking his team's playoff situation calmly.

"It's 2-1. We've been here many times and we've conducted ourselves appropriately and come back and won the series," he said. "We're in a spot where we can win a game and keep going."

Advertisement

Nine players -- in general, those who play the most minutes nightly — stayed off the ice.

Ryane Clowe was one of them and he seemed to appreciate the coach's decision.

"I'm sure the rest will help," he said. "Tomorrow to get back out there and have a good practice, you don't always get that extra day in the playoffs so it'll be good. And we know what's on the line Thursday."

Clowe said that turning the series around was "just a matter of individuals taking it upon themselves to win more battles."

"It's pretty simple hockey out there right now," he said. "There's not a lot of fancy plays or trickery. There's not a lot of East-West play. It's going straight ahead up and down the ice and a lot of the game is being played in the corner, just trying to come up with pucks."